


Plus One

by my_mad_fatuation



Category: My Mad Fat Diary
Genre: F/M, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Weddings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-05
Updated: 2016-10-05
Packaged: 2018-08-19 17:25:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,328
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8219150
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/my_mad_fatuation/pseuds/my_mad_fatuation
Summary: Rae is invited to Izzy and Chop's wedding, but she lied about having a boyfriend so she enlists Archie's help to keep up the pretense. But, of course, the handsome Best Man puts this subterfuge to the test.





	

Why did Rae say she had a boyfriend? She could have just told the truth when she was asked, but she’d felt self-conscious about still being single on the verge of her thirties, so she lied. She knew it was a stupid thing to lie about, but her friend from uni, Izzy, had just told her she was getting married. Again, not a good reason to lie, but Rae did it anyway, and now she felt trapped.

She just received the wedding invitation, which said, “and Guest,” and she realized she was now going to have to produce a boyfriend out of thin air or fess up and tell the truth. The problem with that was that she’d still have to go to the wedding alone, and the only people she knew would be in the wedding party.

In order to go to this wedding, she would have to bring a guest so that she wouldn’t feel like a total loser all by herself. That left her with only one option.

“Arch?” she said as she leaned on her friend Archie’s desk at work the next day.

“Yes, Rae,” he replied without looking up from his computer.

“Can I ask you something?”

“If I said ‘no,’ would that stop you?”

“Do you have any interest in accompanying me to a wedding in a couple of months?”

He stopped what he was doing and finally looked at her. “Why?”

“It’s my friend’s wedding and I was told I could bring a guest, so I thought—”

“So you thought that I had no social life and would definitely be available, is that it?”

“No, I didn’t mean—”

He smiled to indicate he was joking.

“You cheeky bastard,” she said.

“I’m still a bit confused, though. Weddings cost a lot per guest, so why would they let you bring a random like me?”

Rae winced a little. “Okay, here’s the thing… I sort of told my friend that I had a boyfriend, so…”

“So she thinks I’m your boyfriend?”

“Sort of.”

Archie thought for a moment. “There had better be a buffet at the reception.”

***

Rae and Archie arrived at the wedding venue early, as they had overestimated the amount of time it would take to get there. They weren’t the first ones, however, as there were some older folks sitting at a table in the reception area, but there was no one around to tell them where to go or what they should be doing, so they wandered around awkwardly.

As they circled the building and saw where the ceremony was going to take place outside, they noticed a couple of cars pull up and several young men in grey suits emerged from them. Rae was a bit embarrassed that she and Archie had arrived even before the wedding party.

The two of them hugged the wall as the groom and his groomsmen walked past, led by a photographer. None of them seemed to notice Rae or Archie standing there, except one guy trailing behind, who saw them and smiled politely before looking at the ground.

“Not bad,” Archie said quietly to Rae once the others had passed.

“Can I just make a ground rule that you’re not allowed to hit on guys while you’re pretending to be my boyfriend, yeah?”

“I wasn’t going to. Besides, I think he’s more interested in you.”

“What? No. What?”

“You’re blushing like a teenager, you know.”

“Shut up.”

Gradually, more people started to show up, and soon everyone was being invited to take a seat outside for the ceremony. There was a sign that said, “Choose a seat, not a side, we’re all family in God’s eyes,” and Rae tried not to laugh. She and Archie took seats near the front, but not those reserved for close family members.

The groom and his groomsmen came and stood in front of everybody, and Rae recognized the groom having met him once or twice in passing. She also recognized the young man beside him as the one who had smiled at her earlier, but she didn’t realize that she was staring until his gaze met hers, startling her into looking away.

Throughout the ceremony, she was unable to focus on the happy couple because she found herself continuously distracted by the Best Man. She kept her eyes on the couple, of course, but watched him with her peripheral vision as he just stood there, being handsome and whatnot. He didn’t look at her again, though, as he was respectfully paying attention to the ceremony, unlike her.

Afterwards, the guests all went inside to the bar while the wedding party stayed outside for more photos. Meaning that Rae had no one she knew to talk to except Archie. They stood awkwardly by a pillar as trays of appetizers were circulated around them. Archie grabbed something off every tray that was offered to him.

“Maybe we should get drinks so we have something to hold while we stand here,” he suggested.

“Yeah, you go ahead, I’ll save our spot here,” Rae replied semi-sarcastically.

Shortly after Archie left to get drinks, Rae noticed the wedding party coming back inside. Izzy spotted her and came rushing over.

“Oh my god, Rae! You made it!” she said.

“I RSVP’d, didn’t I?”

“Yeah, but it’s still great to see you here!”

“Congratulations, by the way,” Rae added as Izzy hugged her.

The groom came over and introduced himself as “Chop.”

“I know,” said Rae, “we’ve met before.”

“Oh, right!” he replied. “You’re… um…”

“Rae.”

“Right, Rae. Of course. Good to see you again.” He shook her hand.

“Good to see you, too. And congratulations.”

“Come get a drink with us, Rae,” Izzy said, tugging on Rae’s arm.

“Oh, that’s okay, Archie’s just getting one for me—”

“Ooh, Archie? Is that your boyfriend? Can I meet him?”

“Uh, well…” Rae looked over towards the bar where she saw Archie heading towards her. “Here he is…”

He handed her a bottle of beer—which embarrassed her a little since all the other women were drinking wine or fruity things—and shook hands with the bride and groom, offering his congratulations as well.

“Archie, it is so good to finally meet you,” said Izzy. “I’ve heard… nothing about you! What do you do? How did you meet?”

“We work together,” Rae said before Archie could answer. “So that’s how we met. Boring. But enough about us; it’s your special day.”

“Okay, well, we’d better go make the rounds, but we’ll catch up in a bit, all right?” Izzy gave Rae another hug before she and Chop headed off.

“Oh boy,” Rae grumbled when she noticed the Maid of Honour approaching.

“Rae!”

“Chloe!”

Chloe wrapped Rae in a hug and added, “It’s been so long!”

“Yep,” said Rae.

“You look great!” (Rae couldn’t help but feel that there was a silent “for someone your size” at the end of that statement.)

“Thanks, you too.”

“Ugh, purple’s not really my colour. But don’t tell Iz I said that,” Chloe said, smoothing out her dress. She looked at Archie. “And you must be the boyfriend.”

“Archie,” he said as he shook her hand.

It was then that Rae noticed the Best Man walking towards them, and she tried to act like she didn’t. He came up and put his hand on Chloe’s back. ( _Of course_ , Rae thought, _Chloe gets the hottest guy here._ )

“Finn, you scared the life out of me,” Chloe said when she turned and saw it was him.

“Sorry,” he said.

“Have you met Rae and her boyfriend Archie?” she asked him.

He smiled politely again at Rae and Archie. “Hey.”

“Hey,” Archie said with a nod.

The Best Man returned his attention to Chloe. “The photographer wants some more pictures of the bridesmaids and groomsmen outside before it gets dark,” he said.

Chloe sighed in exasperation. “It never ends.” She looked back at Rae and said, “Talk later, yeah?”

“Sure,” said Rae, as the Maid of Honour and Best Man walked away. “Later.”

***

The guests were herded into the dining room to take their seats at their assigned tables. Rae and Archie were stuck with a bunch of elderly relatives and a couple of teenaged cousins.

The meal was in fact buffet-style, though their table was the last to get called up, which irritated Archie, who was disappointed that they had run out of roasted potatoes by the time he got there.

After dinner were the toasts, that seemed to drag on forever. Both the bride’s and groom’s parents, one set of which were divorced and so gave their toasts separately, as well as the Maid of Honour and Best Man.

Chloe’s speech was nauseatingly sweet—she even read from a poem—but the Best Man’s was actually touching, perhaps because he seemed kind of shy about speaking in front of a crowd, or perhaps because it sounded honest.

“I’ve known Arnold—or Chop, as he is better known amongst friends—since we were children. I even know how he got the nickname Chop, but I promised I wouldn’t tell that story here,” he said, and people laughed a little. “And in all the time that I’ve known him, I’ve never seen him happier than when he’s with Izzy…” He stopped and looked at his notecards for a moment before setting them down.

“Look,” he continued, apparently off-script, “I’m not… I’m not very good with words. But most of us here know Chop, and we know he can be a bit of an idiot sometimes. When he broke his arm last year by trying to do that flip on his bike? Not his brightest moment. But he can be smart, too. He’s a wiz at fixing cars, for example. And this. This is one of the smartest things he’s done, marrying Izzy. He’s found someone to share his idiotic moments with, and isn’t that all any of us really want?

“So let’s raise our—hold on, I forgot my glass,” he added, and one of the bridesmaids brought his glass to him. “Let’s raise our glasses to Chop and Izzy for finding each other and doing something smart.”

Everyone clinked their glasses together and Rae watched him as he took his seat again. She couldn’t help it; he was just so nice to look at. But she probably shouldn’t be staring at Chloe’s boyfriend…

***

“Shall we?” Archie said as he stood up, reaching for Rae’s hand.

“I’m not dancing,” she replied, standing as well, since she felt weird being the only person left sitting.

“Why not?”

“I can’t dance.”

“It’s easy, just follow my lead.”

“I can’t follow a lead.”

“Come on. I’m only here because of you.”

“I don’t care, I’m not—” Rae stopped when Chloe came up to them, and she was with the Best Man.

“Sorry, am I interrupting?” Chloe asked.

“No, I was just trying to get Rae to dance, but she refuses,” said Archie.

“I’m having the same problem with this one,” she replied, nudging her companion. “Say,” she added to Archie, “why don’t you and I dance and leave these two party poopers, yeah?”

He looked at Rae inquiringly. “Well…”

“Fine. Go on,” Rae said with a sigh.

Chloe hooked her arm around Archie’s and they made their way to the dance floor where the newlyweds and several other people were dancing.

“I’m Finn, by the way,” said the Best Man, offering to shake hands with Rae.

“I’m Rae,” she said as she accepted his offer.

“Nice to meet you.”

“You, too.” She fidgeted nervously with her hands. “I liked your toast.”

“Oh, I have no idea what I was saying,” he replied with a shy laugh. “I’m no good at public speaking.”

“I thought you did well.”

“Thanks.”

Silence overtook the pair of them for several moments before Rae added, “This is kind of weird, right? Your girlfriend and my boyfriend dancing together.”

Finn frowned a little. “Chloe’s not my girlfriend,” he said. “We’re just friends—her boyfriend’s away on business this weekend.”

“Oh,” she said. She wanted to add, “Archie’s not my boyfriend, either,” but she didn’t.

“Though we were supposed to be keeping each other company so we wouldn’t have to socialize with strangers, but here we are…”

“Oh, sorry, I can go—”

“I was joking,” he said with a slightly condescending smile. “Besides, if you leave then I think Chop’s great aunt over there is going to make a move on me. She’s been watching me all day.”

“How do you know she’s been watching you all day unless you’ve been watching her?” said Rae.

“Touché… Come on, let’s get a drink.”

“I don’t need—”

“I’m in the wedding party, so I can get free drinks.”

She followed Finn over to the bar where he ordered them each a beer and they sat down at an empty bar table.

“So, how do you know Chop and Izzy?” he asked.

“I met Izzy at uni,” she said.

“Is that where you met Chloe, too?”

“Oh, no, I’ve known Chloe since we were little, but we’ve sort of drifted apart over the past few years since I’ve been—“ She stopped herself suddenly. “I don’t know why I’m telling you this, sorry.”

“I asked, didn’t I?”

“Well, let’s just say I’ve known her for a while.”

“Fair enough,” he said before taking a swig of his drink. “So, have you known your boyfriend for a while, too?”

“Oh, Archie’s just my friend from work,” she said. He raised his eyebrows inquisitively and she quickly added, “I mean, that’s how we met; through a friend from work.”

“Have you been together long?”

“Why are you asking?”

He chuckled nervously. “It’s just that—okay—it’s just that one of the other groomsmen, Adam, swears your boyfriend was checking him out during the ceremony. I mean, he might be full of crap—”

“Why are you telling me this?” Rae said, irritated, though she was trying not to raise her voice. “Are you trying to piss me off?”

“Sorry, I just thought that maybe he wasn’t really your boyfriend but rather your gay friend who you brought so you wouldn’t have to sit by yourself.”

“Do you really think I’m that pathetic?” (She hated how close he was to the truth, but she couldn’t give up now.)

“It sounds less pathetic than you not realizing that your boyfriend is gay.”

“And you know for a fact that he’s gay because your friend said he was checking him out? Please.”

“And ‘cause he’s dancing with Adam right now.”

“What?!” Rae spun around in her chair to look at the dance floor, but saw Archie dancing with Chloe still.

“Okay, okay,” Finn said, laughing. “He’s not. But would you have even looked if you didn’t think it was possible?”

Rae massaged her forehead before responding. “Listen, you can’t tell anybody, all right? Do you realize how bad it would look if they found out I lied about having a boyfriend?”

“I just don’t get why you’d lie about something like that anyway.”

“Because they all have boyfriends and husbands and I have nothing.”

“So?”

“I know it’s stupid, but I did it anyway, and now here we are, so can we move on from this, please?”

“Okay, I won’t say anything to Chloe,” he said, “who is right behind you.”

Rae turned again and saw that Chloe was not actually right behind her but was heading towards her from a distance. “I hate you,” she grumbled to Finn.

“May I join you?” Chloe said as she strolled up to their table and took a seat before they could respond. “Archie’s on his way, he just stopped to talk to Adam about, I don’t know, guy stuff.”

Rae could see Finn trying not to laugh.

“Finn, would you be a doll and get me a drink? You know what I like,” Chloe added.

Finn nodded and headed over to the bar to order her a drink, even though she could have gotten one free for herself.

“So, Rae, we need to catch up,” she continued. “I haven’t seen you—”

“Since I had a meltdown at your twenty-fifth birthday party, I remember,” said Rae.

“…I was going to say ‘in a few years.’”

“Yeah, well, not much has changed. I’m still a nutter.”

“Look, I’m sorry for what I—”

Rae cleared her throat loudly to interrupt Chloe as Finn came back with her drink. It was something red with ice cubes in it.

Archie came and joined them shortly, looking positively elated.

“Arch, honey,” Rae said with fake sweetness, “can I talk to you for a minute?” She glanced at Finn to make sure he wouldn’t say anything before getting up and walking over to the corner of the room where she and Archie wouldn’t be within earshot of anyone. “What do you think you’re doing?” she asked him.

“Getting the gay groomsman’s number,” he said with a smile. “Okay, I know you told me not to hit on any guys here, but he came onto me, and—”

“Only because he noticed you checking him out during the ceremony!”

“What? How did you…?”

“The Best Man told me,” she explained. “He knows everything, and now so does Adam, and soon everyone will know and I’ll look like a fool.”

“Sorry,” said Archie, “but I don’t think Adam’s going to be announcing to the whole room full of elderly homophobes that he’s being gay with me.”

“But he could tell Chop who could tell Izzy, and then my whole illusion of having my shit together will be ruined.”

“Why do you need a boyfriend in order to seem like you have your shit together?”

“Because everyone else does!”

“And if everyone else jumped off a bridge—”

“Oh my god, _Mom_!”

“I’m just saying, who cares?”

“You can say that now that you have a boyfriend.”

“I just have a number.”

“I don’t even have a number, though,” Rae said.

“Then go get one,” said Archie, nudging her back towards the bar table with Finn and Chloe.

“I can’t get his number!”

“Why not?”

“Because he’s proper gorgeous.”

“Have you seen yourself in this dress? So are you, so go get him.” He shoved her again and she begrudgingly trotted back over to the table with him.

“Archie, buddy, can I get you a free drink?” Finn offered when they returned.

“I’m fine for now,” said Archie. “I was actually hoping to get Rae onto the dance floor, but she still refuses.”

“I’ll go back out there with you, Archie,” said Chloe, taking one more sip of her drink before getting out of her seat.

“See you in a bit, then.” Archie smirked at Rae as he walked away and she scowled.

“And then there were two,” Finn said, spinning his beer bottle on the table.

“You didn’t say anything to Chloe, did you?” Rae asked him.

“Of course not. I said I wouldn’t, and I’m a man of my word.”

“Good.”

“I still think you should tell her, but it’s not my place to interfere.”

“Thanks,” she said sarcastically.

“You’re welcome.”

She rolled her eyes but had to resist laughing at his fake sincerity. She tapped the side of her bottle with her fingertips. “So…” she began. “Where’s your girlfriend, then?”

“What makes you think I have a girlfriend?” he asked.

She shrugged.

“You were just not-so-subtly trying to find out if I had one, weren’t you?”

“No, I legitimately thought you did,” she said, which was true. Anyone who looked like him would most definitely have a girlfriend.

“Well, two months ago you would have been right.”

“Oh. Sorry.”

“Not a big deal. It wasn’t meant to be.”

“Ugh, are you a ‘meant to be’ kind of person?”

“What’s wrong with that?”

“Things aren’t ‘meant to’ happen. They either happen or they don’t,” she said. “There’s no greater plan in the works.”

“I think you were meant to have this conversation with me,” he said, “so I could show you how you’re wrong.” He smiled, which suggested he was at least partially joking.

“If we’re going to discuss metaphysics, I need another drink first.”

“As you wish.”

Finn got up to order more drinks, and Rae dropped her head into her hands. What was she doing? This was why she was still single; whenever she tried to flirt she just ended up in an argument. When was she going to learn that guys didn’t like it when she pointed out that they were idiots?

He returned shortly with two more beers and she smiled tensely as she took one. They drank in silence for a couple minutes. This was going terribly, she thought.

“Hey, Finn, who’s your friend?” said Chop as he sauntered towards them.

“You’ve already met me. I’m Rae,” she said.

“Oh, right, Rae. You’re here with that other bloke, um…”

“Archie.”

“Yeah. Archie. Right. I saw him dancing with Chloe, didn’t I?”

“Probably.”

“Well, don’t let me interrupt whatever’s going on here. I’m just here to get my lady a drink.” He headed over towards the bar, leaving Finn and Rae in silence again.

“So, he’s… weird,” Rae finally said.

Finn shrugged. “He’s had to meet a lot of people today, so don’t be too offended that he didn’t remember you right away.”

“No, I mean the ‘don’t let me interrupt’ thing. Like he knew something was going on between us.” She scrunched up her face in embarrassment and quickly added, “Not that there’s anything going on between us, like, that way, I just mean that we’re keeping this secret and—”

“I knew what you meant.” He smiled a little. “Do you want to take a walk with me?” he added after a moment.

“Um, okay…?” Rae was slightly confused but took her drink and followed him outside where it was already quite dark.

There were a few outdoor lamps along the edge of the patio, providing a small amount of light, enough for Rae to see several people smoking. She followed Finn past the smokers and onto the grass—she was glad she was wearing flats. He went over to a tree and leaned against it. He was barely lit this far away from the patio.

“What are we doing out here?” she asked.

“I wanted some fresh air,” he explained. “But I can’t be around people smoking, so here we are.”

“Yeah, I hate cigarettes, too.”

“Oh, I love them. But I quit a few years ago, which is why I avoid them when I can.”

“Sorry, I didn’t know.”

He shrugged and took a drink. “So,” he continued, “tell me why is it that a woman in her late-twenties is lying about having a boyfriend? Haven’t you all grown past that yet?”

“Haven’t you ever seen a romantic comedy?” she said. “People of all ages lie about this sort of thing.”

“Yeah, but those movies are ridiculous.”

“Yes, well, so is life. Of course, usually the woman ends up with the man she’s in a fake relationship with, but that seems unlikely in this case.”

“What if she meets a different guy, though? What does she do then?” he asked.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, say she’s at a wedding, for example, and she’s brought a friend from work to act as her boyfriend for the day because she lied to her friends about having one,” he began. “But then she meets a cool guy at the wedding, and she awkwardly tries to find out if he has a girlfriend—which he does not—and they end up talking outside by a tree… What happens then?”

“I don’t think I’ve seen that one.”

“Just imagine the scenario. It’s a bit like this right now, but, you know, different, obviously.”

“Does she like the guy in this scenario?”

“Of course.”

“And he likes her?”

“Probably.”

“Then I guess, if it were a decent and moral movie, she’d have to tell everyone the truth,” she said with a sigh. “Otherwise she could just make out with him behind the tree and hope nobody found out.”

“Would that work?” he said, raising an eyebrow.

“Possibly.”

“Should we find out?”

***

“Finn?”

Rae pushed Finn away when she heard Chloe calling his name. “We can’t let her find us out here like this!” She smoothed out her hair. “Don’t tell her I’m here!”

Finn stepped out from behind the tree and greeted Chloe, who asked him what he was doing out here.

“Just getting some air,” he said casually as he tightened his tie.

“Have you seen Rae, by any chance?” Chloe asked. “Archie’s been looking for her.”

“Uh, not for a little while.”

“Really? ‘Cause someone said they saw you come out here with her.”

“I did, but then she went back inside.”

Rae noticed Chloe take a step closer, so she took a step back.

“Why is your hair sticking up at the back?” Chloe asked Finn.

He quickly tried to smooth it out. “Oh, I was just—”

Rae took another step back and stepped on a twig, snapping it loudly.

“Is somebody out here with you?” Chloe asked.

“No, that was just the wind,” Finn said. “Wait, hold on, don’t go back there—”

Chloe appeared behind the tree suddenly. “Rae? What are you doing back here? Are you having another episode?”

“Jesus, I’m fine, Chloe,” said Rae.

“So, then, wait… What are you doing? Are you…?” Chloe looked at Finn then back at Rae. “Oh my god, are you two—”

“Chloe?” Izzy called out from back on the patio. “Did you find him? The photographer is going to leave soon.”

Chloe grabbed Rae and Finn by the arms and dragged them back towards the building. “I found these two canoodling behind a tree,” she said to Izzy, who appeared shocked.

“We were not canoodling!” Rae said defensively.

“Yeah, we were just making out a little bit,” Finn added, and Rae smacked him.

“How could you do that to Archie?” Izzy asked. “He’s been looking for you, Rae.”

“Yeah, you have a fantastic boyfriend waiting for you inside, and yet you’re out here with this piece of scum?” said Chloe.

“Hey!” said Finn.

“What? You knew she had a boyfriend, so that makes you scum.”

He turned to Rae. “You have to tell them. Spare my reputation, please.”

“Tell us what?” said Izzy.

Rae pursed her lips as she really didn’t want to tell them but realized she had no choice. “Archie’s not really my boyfriend,” she finally said.

“What?”

“I lied when I told you I had a boyfriend, so I asked my friend Archie to come with me and pretend to be my boyfriend in exchange for free food.”

“Why would you do that?” Chloe asked, looking disgusted.

“Because I felt like a loser for not having one,” Rae said angrily. “I didn’t want to be your fat, mad friend who would always be single because she’s fat and mad. I wanted to seem normal, all right?”

Izzy’s forehead went up in the middle. “Rae…”

“We wouldn’t think you’re a loser for not having a boyfriend,” said Chloe. “And we don’t think you’re abnormal.”

“It’s just, I haven’t seen either of you in person since that party, and I thought… I don’t know, I thought you would think I was broken.”

“We’d never think that. Rae…” Izzy looked like she was about to cry as she gave Rae a hug, and Chloe joined in.

“Um, I hate to break up the festivities,” said Finn, “but didn’t you say something about the photographer leaving?”

“Oh! Right!” said Izzy, jumping back. “Okay, we have to go do a few more pictures, but don’t leave before we get a chance to talk again, all right?” she said to Rae, who nodded.

The other three headed back inside just as Archie came outside to find her.

“There you are,” he said as he approached. “I thought it was starting to look suspicious that I’ve hardly spent any time with my girlfriend this evening.”

“The cat’s out of the bag, Arch,” she said. “My friends know the truth now, so you can go be gay with Adam all you want.”

He frowned. “What happened?”

“Oh, you know… Chloe caught me making out with Finn behind a tree and told Izzy about it, so I had to tell the truth so we wouldn’t both seem like horrible people.”

“Oh. Wow,” he said. “…Which tree was it?”

“You just want to know so you can make out with Adam, don’t you?”

“Of course not.”

“It was that one over there. It’s quite secluded, as long as nobody comes looking for you.”

“Thanks.”

Rae and Archie went back inside where they saw the entire wedding party posing for more photos next to a lit-up sign with the bride and groom’s names. They headed over towards the group when the photographer started packing up her equipment.

Archie patted Rae on the shoulder and walked over to Adam, who he chatted with for a moment before they both went outside again. Meanwhile, Finn walked towards her.

“So, now that that’s all cleared up, should we pick up where we left off?” he asked quietly.

“I think our spot has been usurped,” she replied, and they looked out the window to see Archie and Adam wandering behind the tree.

“In that case, should we get another drink?”

***

It was after midnight by the time Rae decided to head home. Archie had already left with Adam an hour ago, and she had already talked with Izzy and Chloe again—the three of them had made plans to get coffee together once Izzy was back from her honeymoon in Spain.

The only thing she hadn’t actually done was get Finn’s number, and since he hadn’t offered it by this point, she didn’t think she was actually going to get it.

“I should probably call a cab now,” she said, pulling out her mobile.

“Wait, are you in town?” he asked. “Because my friend Larry is picking me up in fifteen minutes, and I’m sure he could give you a ride as well.”

“Okay, as long as it’s not any trouble.”

“I’ll just text him to let him know,” he said as he pulled out his mobile, too.

They said their last goodbyes to the bride and groom and those of their friends who remained before Larry picked them up. She texted Archie to let him know where she was and whom she was with in case anything terrible happened to her.

When they got to her building, Finn got out of the car and walked her to the door.

“Do you believe in ‘meant to be’ now?” he asked her, leaning against the doorframe.

“What do you mean?” she said.

“I mean if my girlfriend hadn’t broken up with me, I never would have been hanging out with Chloe at the wedding, so I never would have met you, so I wouldn’t have made out with you behind a tree, so Chloe and Izzy never would have found out that you lied about having a boyfriend, and so you wouldn’t have rekindled your friendship with them,” he explained.

“Are you taking credit for the state of my friendships?”

“I am merely the catalyst that brought you closer together.”

“See, that’s just a series of events—it doesn’t mean any of it was meant to be.”

“You don’t think I was meant to meet you?”

“No. Do you?”

“Maybe. And maybe I was meant to do this.” He reached for her hand and took her mobile that she was holding. He typed something into it before handing it back. “And if it was really meant to be, then you’ll call me.”

“And if I don’t?” she said as he started to walk away.

He turned back to her and shrugged. “Then maybe it wasn’t meant to be…” He continued to walk away for a moment before turning back again. “But please do.”


End file.
